The search function found several references to repairs being performed, part and tool supply sites, costs, and how NOT to repair fountain pens. I'm about to place an order with Tryphon, which will include "Da Book", but I need to know in advance what tools the repair manual will tell me to use.

My assumptions (please take pity on a rookie and add to or delete from this list):
1) Diaphragm -- what size for a standard-size 51? ("Standard", I'll wager)
2) Vacumatic tool (removes the threaded plunger assembly, I assume - how?)
3) Section sealant
4) Vacumatic pellet tool

If anybody could point me to a web site where this repair was written up it would be appreciated. I'm trying to gird my loins with knowledge before I head into my first vac battle. And trying to not wase money on tools I could do without.

1. Diaphragm - get a spare, more if plan on doing this a while.
2. The tool grabs the threads where the plunger cover screws on so you can get it out.
3. Section sealant -or shellac
4. Pellet tool you can make yourself if you care.

I thing all of those tools and products are necessary. There is an assumption you will have a heat source and can figure out a way to grab the pen barrel to hold or turn it. It is a pretty straight forward process described in "Da Book". Get a bit of the Teflon tubing to replace the tube if necessary.

Process - map nib location in relationship to barrel. Take pen apart. Clean all parts, install diaphragm, put back together being sure to align nib where it was. Dry assemble hood.nib, remove, apply a speck of sealant, put hood on, check hood/nib alignment, take hood off, adjust as necessary, put hood on, check hood/nib alignment, take hood off, put hood on, check hood/nib alignment, take hood off, adjust as necessary,adjust as necessary, put hood on, check hood/nib alignment, take hood off, adjust as necessary, put hood on, check hood/nib alignment, take hood off, adjust as necessary, put hood on, check hood/nib alignment, take hood off, adjust as necessary, put hood on, check hood/nib alignment, take hood off, adjust as necessary, say good enough ...

Ron

Best answer ever, Ron. Classic.

I would order a set cleaning brushes and a scraper (dental type) to get the petrified rubber diaphragm remains out of the barrel. Tryphon has them. And an inspection light will enable you to make sure everything is clean.
Good luck and have fun!

Whatever you do, DO NOT, I repeat DO NOT put the filler unit back in place with shellac...

Thanks Ron.

I have a few options for heat sources, from MAP gas torch through heat gun all the way down to sleeping cat tummy, and will pick a gentle, adjustable source. If I don't buy the spark plug wire pliers I'll slip a scrap piece of fuel/ATF/coolant black hose over the barrel and use slip joint pliers, delicately.

I would definitely rather make the pellet tool and am open to suggestions. In the 12 seconds I've considered it's design I have a stout piece of 12-ga Cu wire, a spherical dollop of solder, and a little drill bit to make a concavity on the sphere. Please tell me there is a much, much better alternative.

Alignment and assembly adjustment seem to be a focus of your post. (Aren't I clever for noticing?) How about this for marking the as-received alignment: Lay pieces of tape (masking, scotch or duct (no, no; just kidding about the latter)) across all the joints and on the nib. Mark a line across all the joints then separate. I may not get the alignment correct on the first or even eighth try but at least will know where everything should end up.

Aye aye, Cap'n Grizz! Message received loud and clear, sir. No sealant/shellac on the threaded joint between the vac assembly and the barrel.

Thanks for taking the time to respond, fellas.

-Greg

Richard Binder also has some great information on his website: http://richardspens.com/
Click the Referenc Info link and look for the article titled "Care and Feeding: How to Replace a Vacumatic Diaphragm"

Pellet tool can be made from a chunk of coat hanger wire and a drill point. I straight cut about 5" of coat hanger wire and ground flat the ends. I then used a dremel with the burr I use to remove pellets, and made a dimple in one end of the wire. Drilled a small hole in a chunk of dowel and tada, pellet tool

Works really well, better than the one I bought. But I also made another one with a rounded ball end that I can use while flipping diaphragms inside out etc.

Cheers,
Sean

My favorite - a coat hanger tool! Fantastic! I have one used to adjust the rocker arm eccentric to valve gap in my older cars. Another is great for rupturing the bladder in caulk tubes prior to squeezing the trigger.

American DIY would be set back 100 years without a steady, cheap supply of coat hangers.

You can probably do without the Vacumatic tool. Da Book mentions using a nut cut halfway through to grip the threads on the plunger assembly. That is really all the Vacumatic tool is; it just has as setscrew to hold the tapped hole at a smaller diameter. I took my pen to a hardware store and asked for a nylon nut that fits the threaded piece that sticks out (I have forgotten the thread size). I cut the nut halfway through with a small Xacto saw. You just thread the nut onto the plunger assembly and pinch and turn with a pair of slip-jaw pliers.

Paddler

The thread size on standards is 5/16"-36tpi. Unless the nut is that pitch and diameter, damage to the threads is very possible. I have never seen a 5/16"-36tpi thread on anything but Vacumatic filler units and caps. If one had a extra cap..... it would probably break as Lucite/Acrylic/Plexiglas can be brittle. I bought a couple of 5/16-36tpi Tap$ and make my own Vacumatic tools.

"Da Book" is a valuable resource. It is not correct 100% of the time and it has some bad information. It IS the best resource we have at this time, IMO.

Ron

Hmmmm. I wonder if I got the correct nut. It seems to fit without cross-threading.

Paddler

I should have posted this sooner....

There are three articles on my web site that may be of help - two on making your own tools for pen repair.

Take a look at the articles on cheap tools.

I use a piece of 1/16" or so thin wall brass tubing for a pellet pusher. Works great, never had a problem. Got mine in a bag of miscellaneous hobby tubing scrap, but you could buy some at the hobby store.

A 5/16" 36 tap cost will make you sit down and gurgle some, usually (special part, of course) but you can always use a 5/16 32 tap, which is quite common. Check for ease of fit first, of course, but there are only a few threads exposed and a split block won't fit that tight anyway.

Peter

Peter

I was looking up the same basic stuff to work on some 51s I got for parts. (Sending the good one off to Richard Binder soon) I figured I'd get some of the ugly one working to learn the ropes. I don't have my supplies ordered yet, but I was pretty sure that the "51" takes the smaller vac diaphram. (Debutante, as opposed to oversize and standard) It might be worth it to confirm this one way or the other before ordering. Pensac company lists the Deb as the size for all of the "51"s

Maybe somebody who does 51s can shed some light on this.

Dave

I use Deb diaphragms for all Debutante Vacumatics, Standard Vacumatics and 51's
I use Standard Diaphragms for Maxima and OS diaphragms for OS pens.

Trim the diaprhagm 1 1/8" from the pellet end, talc, invert and install. Trim as required to get a good fit where the diaprhagm is almost everted when the plunger is fully depressed.

Cheers,
Sean

Any pen that has the plastic filler unit, the deb lockdown filler, or the smaller speedline filler will use the deb size diaphragms. I stock the debs vs the other sizes at about 10:1.

Ron, while not really a direct response to the question posed regarding 51's and Debutante diaphragms, does my statement regarding Maxima and OS Vacumatics jive with your experience??

Cheers,
Sean

Yup. The only pen that gets the OS diaphragm is the OS vac. You'll find that the cone on the maxima is more the size of the standard vac.